Maharashtra has approved the new education policy for 2020, Hindi is the third language of the class.
Although the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 does not require Hindi, the state will become a mandatory third language subject for students from Level 1 to 5 in addition to Marathi and English.
As part of the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020 implementation), Maharashtra will introduce significant changes to its school curriculum. Starting from the 2025-26 school year, students from Level 1 to Level 5 will be required to learn Hindi as a mandatory third language.
The decision is designed to enhance the language skills and cultural understanding of young students. This move is consistent with the phased implementation of NEP at the school level announced by the State Department of Education.
Although the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 does not require Hindi, the state will become a mandatory third language subject for students from Level 1 to 5 in addition to Marathi and English. The three-language formula will now be introduced at the primary level, thus extending its scope beyond secondary education. This shift will bring significant changes to the language courses, especially in Marathi and English secondary schools where students will learn Marathi, English and Hindi.
In addition, the state will transition from the current 10+2 education structure to the NEP recommended 5+3+3+4 model, which has completely changed the way school education is organized and delivered in Maharashtra. This modified structure divides the school into four stages: the basic stage at ages 3-8, focusing on early childhood education; the preparation stage at level 3-5, establishing basic skills; the pre-curricular stage at class 6-8, preparing advanced courses for students; and the secondary stage at level 9-12, enhancing topic-specific knowledge.
An education department official noted that this marked a key shift in early education, with the intention to build multilingual competence as early as possible. Starting from the 2025-26 level, it will be launched in stages. In preparation for the transition, textbooks are being revised to incorporate the language and cultural context of Maharashtra while complying with national standards. This work is being carried out in collaboration with Balbharati to ensure that new materials can be used in all teaching media.
